your plate, feeling different textures in your mouth, and hearing gentle background music (such as [Taro’s] karaoke singing) or the soft voices of your dining companions as you enjoy a meal together.”
regularly which have roughly 30 people in each class, at three different locations! Seeing his story is so inspiring for other entrepreneurs out there wanting to pursue their dream. Knowing that he wasn’t handed anything, but worked hard alongside his family to get to where his is today is encouragement in and of itself.
Taro was asked to take the wheel of the family business because of his skill, hard work ethic, and at the very beginning, his ability to speak English. He took the opportunity his dad trusted him with and ran with it. Taro has helped take his family’s dream, which his parents started so many years ago, to the next level. And together they’ve built not only a prosperous restaurant franchise, but also a stellar business model of success and positivity for others to model their own after.
With great successes come great trials and tribulations. There was a point at the beginning where the restaurant had no fish because they couldn’t afford it—a huge problem when you’re running a sushi bar! Now the journey has come so far that they get fresh fish flown in from Japan daily. When I had the pleasure of attending one of his classes, I got to drool over huge filets of Bluefin tuna, and the rarely presented and so delicious wild-caught salmon belly.
While he stood at the front of the class, delicately slicing angled cuts of his Bluefin steak with an exquisitely rare Yanagi knife (made from high carbon steel used to forge samurai swords and costs a small fortune), you could hear a pin drop as the class watched in reverent admiration. As they watched, hoping to learn enough to prove their skills to the chef, I couldn’t help but watch the sensei (teacher) himself. On his bright red jacket (Taro’s favorite color), embroidered over his heart, he proudly displays his truest title: CDO – Chief Dreaming Officer.
The dream continues to grow daily. Overcoming struggles along the journey, like adapting to figure out the right balance between Western American tastes and that of traditional Japanese cuisine, Taro never stops dreaming. Thankfully for those less fortunate, he’s benevolent enough to share that dream with others, giving to charity often and raising money with his annual golf tournament. And even when he’s not being altruistic, he enjoys golfing with customers and friends, getting the most out of business and life.
As a personal super-fan of everything sushi, I’ll admit I have a little bit of a bias towards the type of food. I am not, however, bias when judging quality. I can honestly say Mikuni’s sushi is truly some of the freshest, most delicious sushi I’ve ever had. If you’ve never had it, go—no, RUN to the Mikunis nearest you. Ok… So don’t run there. But at the very least walk briskly or drive safely next time you get the urge for fresh sushi (and a great happy hour!)
So whether you’re frequenting one of their many locations for a meal or pulling up a seat at a Sushiology class with family and friends, you are sure to be blessed with great company, plentiful libations, food full of umami (flavor), and the original happy meal—sushi. Forget McDonalds.
So it makes sense that one of Taro’s biggest passions right now, during his “retirement” (he’s a busy guy!) is teaching others how to enjoy and create a meal together. Attending Taro’s Sushiology class is not only invigorating for the 5 senses, but is also a lot of fun! He follows the symbolism of five by featuring five different flavor profiles and five basic food preparation methods. If you want to learn more, sign up for a class at one of the locations closest to you (www.MikuniSushi.com)—you’ll be happy you did. With pairings of beer, sake, and appetizers, you’re sure to leave full and happy. Which fits considering sushi literally means “happy meal” (along with “vinegar rice” and “delicious fish”.)
Just imagine—a business that started with only 30 customers a day on a good day is now selling out classes